LET THE FESTIVITIES BEGIN!

TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL BEGINS TODAY!

UGGGHH!

I hope that the Vanity Fair party isn't a precursor of things to came.

It was lame. Really lame. I think it was the worst yet. When the biggest names to show up are the local B-Lister's that we get every year for this party, thing are going to be bad.

So... that's why Vanity Fair didn't release a tip sheet. There was no one to announce!

I remember a time when Nicole Kidman, Angelina Jolie and the Olsen's would show up.

It's all a distant memory now.... fading...fading....

Scarlett Johansson Fall Down Go Boom

Scarlett Johansson might think she's clever, what with the way she's been ruining the pictures taken of her by the paparazzi, but she didn't look so clever after landing on her ass.

TMZ reports that Scarlett Johansson took a tumble outside the Saturday Night Live after party while trying to hide from the paparazzi. Scarlett tried to run to her car with a coat over her head, but while that meant the paparazzi couldn't see her face, it also meant she couldn't see where the hell she was going.

Catch the video HERE.

Could a Paparazzi Site Play a Role in Alec Baldwin's Custody Battle?

Celeb gossip site, TMZ.com, has uploaded an alleged voicemail Alec Baldwin left with his 11-year-old daughter Ireland.

After Ireland didn't answer her father's scheduled morning phone call from New York on April 11, Alec left her a nasty message.

Highlights from the tirade include:
"Once again, I have made an ass of myself trying to get to a phone."
"You have insulted me for the last time."
"I don't give a damn that you're 12-years-old or 11-years-old, or a child, or that your mother is a thoughtless pain in the ass who doesn't care about what you do."
"This crap you pull on me with this goddamn phone situation that you would never dream of doing to your mother and you do it to me constantly over and over again."

Before hanging up Baldwin screamed, "I am gonna get on a plane, and come out there for the day, and I'm gonna straighten your ass out when I see you... I'm gonnna really make sure you get it. So, you better be ready Friday the 20th to meet with me so I can let you know how I feel about what a rude little pig you really are."

TMZ's learned that on Wednesday, Los Angeles County Superior Court commissioner Maren Nelson heard the tape and temporarily suspended Baldwin's visitation rights. A hearing is set for May 4, where the judge could permanently deny Baldwin visitation or contact with Ireland.

If you listen to the audio, it seems to be cut and pasted (if it's Alec at all). The tone in his voice changes quite radically from screaming to calm throughout, especially at the end when he's talking about the April 20th meeting. It makes me wonder if this isn't doctored. If it is, this is a seriously low blow by either TMZ or Basinger's legal camp.

Baldwin's lawyer, Vicki Greene, did tell TMZ that, "Whatever happened yesterday was sealed and confidential. What you're telling me you've got you shouldn't have."

Hmm...That doesn't sound like denial.

Halle Berry Protects Paparazzi At LAX

Halle Berry was the paparazzi’s best friend on Tuesday at Los Angeles International Airport.

The 40-year-old actress had to restrain her model boyfriend Gabriel Aubry, 31, from getting into a scrum with the shutterbugs.

The flowering couple were at the airport returning home from a Mexican getaway after spending five days in Cabo San Lucas.

One would think that Aubry would be a little less testy after spending five days in paradise with Berry… then again, he could’ve been bummed out that the trip had come to end!

Britney Spears Lashes out at Paparazzi

Everything seemed to be going well for Britney Spears since she completed her rehab treatment a few weeks ago. She was seen having dinner with friends and hanging out at basketball games with her cousin. But all isn't well with Brit as a small group of paparazzi found out this weekend. Britney is apparently fed up with rumors circulating about the pop princess being pregnant again and she had no problem telling the photographers and paparazzi how she was feeling.

According to Post Chronicle, Brit told her fans to "believe everything you read" while sarcastically stating that "The world is so nice".

When Britney lashed out at the paparazzi it was very clear that she had been hurt by rumors claiming she was pregnant again. The 25 year old mother of two said ""I just want to talk and say, like, how nice our world is. It really is. Like the other day, I saw this magazine and it said I was pregnant. And I went up to my mom and my mom knew, like, she was right, as I am really pregnant. Always believe everything you read everybody! Because I am!" It was clear that Britney was using sarcasm as a defense mechanism but she didn't stop there.

Apparently the pregnancy reports aren't the only rumors that Spears is dealing with. According to the pop princess, there have also been reports that she has been drinking since she left rehab. Britney addresses these issues as well: "I went to see, like, this person, like, on USA Today and they said I was drinking a lot and it was just so true. Because, like, my management so knew what they were doing sending me to rehab. Like, totally. Isn't it nice how nice our world is? Nobody is going to talk about this. The world's so nice, that's all I want to say."

PERFECT STRANGER's Fight For Photos

Tensions flare at the Perfect Stranger premiere


Perfect Stranger Premiere
April 10, 2007, 7pm
Ziegfeld theater

Well... it all came down to where you were standing. The immediate right upon entry was good for most of the event until...

Halle Berry arrives. As she enters the tent, her ring flies off her finger onto the ground. As she goes to pick it up, two of the A list shooters on the carpet jump in front of the press pit to get a photo. A ruckus ensues, which draws security to the area. This in turn block off half of the press pen, which means we had to shoot over security, PR, bystanders and the A list shooters in front of us. Very ugly.
One shooter was very verbal with the A list shooters and was subsequently ejected from the press pen (which wasn't called for in my opinion)

LeAnn Rimes Press Conference INFO

Hey guys....here's a heads up about tomorrow mornings press conference.
Looks like you need paper work on file to get in. Here's the email...




'I'm sorry for the last minute notice, but we were just notified by the
venue for tomorrow's event that only press who have insurance on file
with 1515 Broadway will be allowed inside the event. If you do have
that information on file please fax it to 212-846-1311.

Again, I am sorry for the confusion and I hope to work with you again
soon. '

BEYONCE Monday- I Should Have Left, Should Have Left

Beyonce- April 2, 2007
TODAY SHOW, 7am
EARLY SHOW, 12pm

Beyonce was all over on Monday morning, starting with the TODAY SHOW at Rockefeller Center Plaza.
Is it me or do the always seem to stick as many obstructions in front of the press pen as possible. Speakers, lights, camera men, security...and today, three back up singers for Beyonce. Jeesshhh!

All in all it wasn't too bad. Beyonce was very cordial, looking at the press pen and smiling.

Now we cut to the uptown scene...

She also performed outside on the CBS Early Show. The press riser was set up behind the crowd, parallel to the stage. Which means? You guessed it... tons of fans in the foreground making a full length shot damn near impossible. But you could shoot the hell out her in 3/4.
There was also another smaller press pen set stage left, but was heavily obstructed by lights and the stage rigging.

There has always been a trade off between the TODAY SHOW and EARLY SHOW.
TODAY- Closer to the stage but shorter shooting time and on an angle.
EARLY SHOW- Longer photo-op, dead center of stage but further back. Plus you have to deal with fan obstructions (arms, hands, signs, cell phone cameras)

JLo Please Go Away

We've had a hell of a run with JLo this week.

TRL on Tuesday, post party for her book, book signing up town. It's a JLo overdose.

Arrivals for TRL was a clusterf**k. When she left it was a little better.
When she arrived at the party, she closed down Broadway and 49th St. when hundreds of fans, tourists, onlookers, security, cops and press mobbed her and Marc and filled the street, blocking traffic and causing havoc.
But, at least she arrived early for her book signing uptown at FYE. And for this I'm glad, because I don't think I could have listened to that song of hers they kept playing over and over on the loudspeaker. It'll drive you to go postal.

We wait for JLo at FYE. Thanks to Jason K. for the photo

SanDisk 8GB Ultra II CompactFlash Card- $93.65

I'm sure this won't last long. Here's the LINK.

Britney Spears' Bodyguard Pulls Gun On Photographer

Britney Spears was caught up in a gun scare after a security guard threatened to shoot a photographer trying to snap her.

The undercover officer aimed his weapon at the paparazzi and shouted: 'Get out of your car, get down'.

He then handcuffed him and accused him of trying to run over a traffic policeman before finally releasing him.

The incident happened as Brit, 25, left a service at a church in Hollywood.

A witness said: "When her 4X4 came out (police) officers stopped the traffic and let her go ahead and held paparazzi back.

'One photographer tried to get past and suddenly two undercover security guards ran out into the street. The photographer looked terrified. It's not what you expect to see outside a church service.'

Mike Hooper, executive director of the Bela Air Presbyterian Church, said: 'One photographer was on the wrong side of the road and tried to run over an officer who had stopped traffic.

'He kept coming and one of our guards pulled a gun out. I cannot speak for the security officer but he does not regret it. This is a church, not a concert.'

REIGN Premiere; all OVER the place

Reign Over Me premiere
March 20, 2007, 7pm

The photo kind of says it all.

We were stacked three rows deep and on top of the background.
(Funny, I noticed the 'A-list shooters' weren't to crowded)
Oh yea... and the tent was heated with the vents blowing right on our backs. It was like working in an over with a winter coat on.
And let not forget the power trip NYU security guards getting crazy because we were on the sidewalk.

The tent was so over crowded that PR set up an outside area for another 10-12 photogs to shoot.

All the talents were very gracious; Jada in great fashion posed with Will, Liv Tyler, Saffron Burrows and Adam Sandler posed nicely for photos.

Woody Harrelson slapped with $2.5 million lawsuit by photographer

Former "Cheers" star Woody Harrelson was smacked with a $2.5 million lawsuit by a photographer claiming the star smacked him while leaving a Hollywood club.

TMZ.com photographer Josh Levine, who accused the "Natural Born Killers" actor of assault and battery, said when Harrelson showed his hand to the camera as the photographer was shooting the video last summer, he simultaneously shoved the camera into Levine's ribs and broke the equipment, E! News said.

Harrelson also put both his hands around Levine's neck and threatened him, said the suit filed Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court.

The Los Angeles District Attorney's Office did not press felony charges, saying footage of the incident didn't prove Harrelson intended to damage the camera or injure Levine.

The Los Angeles City Attorney's Office also declined to file misdemeanor charges.

Keanu Hits Paparazzi with Porsche

Keanu Reeves, star of such Hollywood hits as "Bill And Ted's Excellent Adventure," "The Matrix," and "Point Break," apparently hit a celebrity photographer with his car Monday night.

Reeves apparently struck the unnamed photographer as he was pulling his Porsche out of his parking spot around 7:30 PM Monday night in Rancho Palos Verdes. Police released a statement on Tuesday that hinted the photographer wasn't exactly practicing safe traffic tactics at the time of the collision.

"The paparazzi was standing in the street in front of Mr. Reeves' 1996 Porsche when he was grazed by the car," read the statement. "The man fell to the ground. Paramedics were summoned and treated the man at the scene. He was then transported via ambulance to a local hospital for further treatment."

According to Reeves' attorney, Jay Lavely, the incident was the fault of the photographer, and not of Reeves. "The incident... appears to have been brought on more by the actions of the paparazzi than by the actions of Mr. Reeves," he said. "The paparazzo, who had followed Mr. Reeves to Palos Verdes, was standing in front of Mr. Reeves' car blocking his way when Mr. Reeves got into his car to leave. Mr. Reeves assumed that he would move away when he started to slowly inch the car away from the curb."

No charges have been filed and police are still investigating the incident. Lavely said Reeves is cooperating fully with the investigation and "will also consider his own legal rights concerning the matter." He went on to say that "It appeared as if the paparazzo was trying to cause this type of encounter."

Keanu Reeves is not the only star to have a vehicular run-in with a photographer in recent days. Last week, a photographer was taken to the hospital with a bruised knee after being hit a car driven by Lindsay Lohan. The photographer said the collision was due to erratic driving by Lohan, although the actress claims it was the fault of the photographer, who apparently decided to leap onto the hood of her car for a better angle for his photograph.

And last month, singer James Blunt is accused of running over the foot of a paparazzo while driving away from a pre-Oscar party. The singer said, in a statement by his representative, that the photographer was at fault for "invading his space."

Paparazzi Banned to Approach Leo DiCaprio

Several paparazzi were officially banned to come near the actor Leonardo DiCaprio and his girlfriend - the model Bar Rafael after a quarrel between the photographers and the stars' guards.

As a result of the accident, two of Leo's bodyguards were arrested, interrogated and later released without being charged, a NY actor's spokesman announced.

The movie star roused the media interest especially after he played a role to remember in "The Departed", which has won four Oscar Awards at this year's ceremony.

GLOVER GONE WILD

The paparazzi has reportedly caused Danny Glover to channel his old Mister character from “The Color Purple” and punch a New York Daily News photographer square in the jaw.

According to the newspaper, the 60-year old actor was leaving Brooklyn Federal Court in NY when he apparently became irritated and “threw a roundhouse punch at News photographer Gary He,” reportedly striking the man’s jaw.

"What gives you the right to come out here and photograph me and have your camera up in my face?" He quotes Glover as saying.

Glover’s attorney, Martin Singer, told the paper that He started the whole thing by trying to prevent the actor from leaving the courthouse. The photographer has decided not to press charges.

Singer said Glover was supposed to meet entrepreneurs Lester and Lennox Parris, of Old Westbury, L.I., who are being tried on charges of manipulating the price of stock in their bottled water company, Queench, by issuing press releases containing false claims, then pocketing money from the alleged pump-and-dump scheme, the Daily News reported.

In other D-Glove news, the actor is among the voice talent for Snoot Entertainment’s upcoming CG-animated film, "Terra." The script is based on the 2003 short film of the same name, about the interplanetary conflict between the inhabitants of a peaceful world and the human warriors who want to colonize it.

I love this quote, "What gives you the right to come out here and photograph me and have your camera up in my face?" ...ummm the Constitution, Mr. Glover.

Lindsay Lohan Runs Over A Photographer

Lindsay Lohan has been accused of running over a photographer in New York. Onlookers say Lohan, 20, rolled her BMW towards the lensman who then fell to the ground, saying he had been run over.

She accused him of “faking it” as he writhed on the street, it was claimed, before leaving in another car, driven by a bodyguard.

The photographer was taken to St. Luke’s hospital.

Lohan was initially allowed to leave the scene by police but was called back several hours later for questioning. The extent of the photographer’s injuries are as yet unknown.

Story and Pics via Splash

Israel Police arrest bodyguards of star Leonardo DiCaprio

Israel Police arrested on Monday two members of actor Leonardo DiCaprio's security team after they clashed with photographers during a visit to Jerusalem by the star and his Israeli girlfriend Bar Refaeli.

Israel Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said DiCaprio and supermodel Refaeli were taking a private tour of the Western Wall tunnels, next to the Western Wall which is Judaism's holiest site, in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Rosenfeld said the photographers waited outside the tunnels for the couple to emerge.

"Two of his [DiCaprio's] security guards were arrested by police after being involved in a fight that broke out," Rosenfeld said. "They are being questioned."

Covering their faces after the tour, DiCaprio and Refaeli were whisked away in a waiting white van.

The couple arrived in Israel earlier this week for a visit amid much fanfare by the Israeli media.

MOSS HITS OUT AT 'SICK IN THE HEAD' PAPARAZZI

Supermodel KATE MOSS has hit out at the paparazzi who follow her around incessantly, insisting she is amazed at the lengths which photographers go to.
The British star believes the press should respect her privacy when she is with her four-year-old daughter LILA GRACE.
She says, "There are degrees of privacy. For instance, if I'm taking my daughter Lila to school, that's not OK.
"Once I was walking from The Mercer (hotel) in New York - because otherwise I don't walk anywhere - and this woman paparazzo who was following me fell over a fire hydrant and her whole tooth went through her lip.
"I leant over her, saying, 'Are you all right?' and she was still taking pictures. I was, 'You know what? You are sick in the head.' "And she was really surprised that I had stopped. Like I was going to leave her bleeding."

CAMERA CREEP HASSLES SIENNA

SIENNA Miller - who expects a little privacy when she parties hard in New York nightclubs - had a dust-up with a pesky lensman who was taking photos of the "Factory Girl" smoking, dancing and drinking cocktails at the Plumm on Thursday night.

Miller was there to see her new rocker boyfriend, Jamie Burke, perform in the West 14th Street club's new VIP space, the Pitt Room.

Spies said that Miller arrived at 11 for the show and was hanging out with Burke before he went onstage.

During Burke's performance, according to witnesses, the sultry British starlet was having a good time with friends until a man with a camera began following her around.

According to the witnesses, tensions between the snapper and Miller started around 1 a.m., when he began taking photos of Miller and Pitt Room co-owner Voula Duval dancing on a table.

"Sienna got in the guy's face, and yelled, 'Stop! Get him away!' and asked security to kick the guy taking photos out of the club," said the snitch.

But the stalker-ish shutterbug persisted and continued to tell people he was a friend of club owner Noel Ashman.

"He was following Sienna around until 2:30 in the morning, and she just had enough," said our spy. Sources said Miller got so fed up, she "chased [the clubgoer] towards the exit, searched him and grabbed his camera."

Security guards restrained the obnoxious patron while Miller took his digital camera into the club's bathroom and deleted his photos. Afterward, "Noel had him kicked out," said the spy.

Meanwhile, the party was still raging inside the Plumm, where Miller and Burke continued the revelry.

"At one point, Burke tripped over a stool, and fell. Sienna burst out laughing," said one witness. "Sienna and Jamie left at 5 a.m., avoiding two cars stuffed full of paparazzi."